INQToday: Biden, Trump clash sharply on records in high-stakes debate

Here’s a quick roundup of today’s top stories:

US tells China that PH support is ‘ironclad’

A top US official on Thursday told a Chinese counterpart that Washington’s defense commitments to the Philippines were “ironclad” after a violent clash in the West Philippine Sea.

Deputy Secretary of State Kurt Campbell “raised serious concerns” about Chinese actions in a call with Executive Vice Foreign Minister Ma Zhaoxu, the State Department said.

Biden, Trump clash sharply on records in high-stakes debate

President Joe Biden made several verbal missteps Thursday in the opening minutes of his debate with his Republican rival, Donald Trump, as both took the stage seeking to define their presidential rematch.

Biden had a raspy voice, struggling repeatedly to clear his throat, and had a halting delivery as he tried to defend his economic record and criticize Trump. Biden appeared to lose his train of thought while giving one answer, drifting from an answer on tax policy to health policy, at one point using the word “COVID,” and then saying, “excuse me, with, dealing with,” and he trailed off again.

Alice Guo’s removal as mayor via quo warranto may come sooner – OSG

Alice Guo’s removal as mayor of Bamban town in Tarlac via a quo warranto case may come sooner with the findings of the National Bureau of Investigation (NBI) that her fingerprints matched that of Chinese woman Guo Hua Ping.

Solicitor General Menardo Guevarra said Friday that the NBI fingerprint-matching test result could speed up the filing of the quo warranto case against the suspended local chief executive. He said the filing of the quo warranto case will happen as soon as possible, likely by next month.

Timor-Leste OKs Teves extradition to PH

The Court of Appeals in Timor-Leste has granted the Philippine government’s request to extradite former lawmaker Arnolfo Teves Jr., who is facing a murder trial over the killing of a political rival last year, the Department of Justice (DOJ) announced on Thursday night.

“The information was relayed to us by the Attorney General of Timor-Leste. We have won,” Justice Assistant Secretary Jose Dominic Clavano IV said in a message to reporters.